Celling Biosciences Hosts Austin Cell Therapy Symposium

AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday, January 4th Celling Biosciences hosted the Austin Cell Therapy Symposium at the downtown Hilton to build awareness and provide a platform for physicians, scientists, policy makers and academia to discuss the impact of cell therapy on global healthcare and the opportunity for the local community in Central Texas. Cell therapy will revolutionize the landscape of medicine by providing viable and affordable treatment options across all disciplines of medicine without the controversy associated with embryonic stem cells.

The keynote speaker for the event was Dr. Arnold I. Caplan, Professor of Biology and Director of the Skeletal Research Center at Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Caplan has published over 390 papers and manuscripts and has long been supported by the National Institute of Health and other non-profit and for-profit agencies for his efforts in trying to understand the development, maturation and aging of cartilage, bone, skin and other mesenchymal cell tissues. "I firmly believe that the research and development efforts going on today will change the future of medicine forever. We are only scratching the surface of the potential there is to treat different health issues with cell therapy. It takes a concerted effort by scientists, physicians and commercial entities for patients to ultimately enjoy the benefits. This type of platform provided by Celling Biosciences allows us to effectively progress forward," says Dr. Caplan.

Dr. Carl Gregory from the Texas A&M Regenerative Medicine Institute and Dr. Vivienne Rebel from UT Health Science Center San Antonio both represented local academia in Central Texas. The research being conducted and the recruitment of students trained in these programs are obvious reasons for Texans to keep supporting Governor Perry's efforts to make Texas a leader in the research and commercialization efforts of regenerative cell therapy. Both speakers are leading efforts for research that will one day lead to alternative healthcare options.

Dr. Philippe Hernigou, a leading orthopedic surgeon from France, presented his 20 years clinical experience working with cell therapy in his practice as University of Paris Chief of Orthopedics. Dr. Hernigou is well published in his clinical use of cell therapy and has treated over 2,500 patients utilizing autologous bone marrow derived cells to treat a wide range of orthopedic pathologies. Dr. Hernigou's research on the safety of cell therapy has been accepted and will be presented at the 2013 AAOS, a leading congress for orthopedic surgeons.

Clinicians were also represented by Dr. Scott Spann, an orthopedic surgeon at Westlake Hospital in Austin, who provides care to patients with spinal cord injury. Dr. Spann believes one day cell therapy will be a common option for patients suffering from debilitating health issues like spinal cord injury. A member of the audience and orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Christoph Meyer has been utilizing cell therapy in his practice for years and also believes it is the future of medicine. "Thanks to these efforts, physicians are benefiting from access to the growing body of research based medicine being established in the field of cellular therapy and regenerative medicine. As the technology is developed, it ultimately gives my patients the best care available and this event gives me the opportunity to discuss experiences with world leaders in cell therapy."

Healthcare is going through major changes and cell therapy is going to have many challenges ahead. Julian Rivera, legal healthcare specialist at the Brown McCarroll Law Firm, discussed the impact of the recent challenges in front of the Texas Medical Board which has adopted rules that work with the FDA to help keep Texas revolutionizing cell therapy. Mr. Rivera believes that the legal issues will take time but is optimistic about how the State of Texas has handled the challenges thus far.

"We are fortunate to have industry leaders joining us to discuss the future impact of cell therapy. We are proud to be Texans who are pioneering the way in the global healthcare market place for regenerative cell therapies. Celling Biosciences understands that the cell therapy market is in its infancy which is a key reason why we invest heavily on research and development with our teams of scientists, engineers and registered nurses providing physicians with proven cell centric technologies and techniques that collectively help to recreate the human body's biological environment. It is not about just providing cells to treat patients. We believe with the help of these thought leaders presenting today we will get closer to better understanding how to keep delivering safe, efficacious and cost effective therapies to patients," says Founder and CEO of Celling Biosciences, Kevin Dunworth.

About Celling BiosciencesCelling Biosciences is an Austin based company working closely with world leaders in academia, medicine, scientists and engineers to research and develop innovative technologies in the emerging field of regenerative medicine. Celling's product-offering focuses on autologous adult stem cell therapy and the devices and services that compliment these procedures. For more information please visit: www.cellingbiosciences.com.